The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority Returns $2.6 Million to the City of Oakland
The Coliseum and Arena have continued to thrive, hosting a variety of live, sold-out events that have generated significant revenue and created this opportunity. As a result, on January 17th, I voted alongside my fellow Coliseum Authority commissioners to authorize the return of $2.6 million each, to the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda respectively.
It is our expectations these funds be used to save fire services.
Leadership Transitions
(Oakland, California) The week of January 6th, 2025 saw important changes come to the County of Alameda and the City of Oakland. Nikki Fortunato Bas was sworn in to represent District 5 on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who formerly served as the At Large Councilmember for Oakland City Council, was appointed to serve as Interim Councilmember for District 2.
Supervisor Fortunato Bas and Councilmember Kaplan bring decades of public service, legislative and budgetary expertise and groundbreaking initiatives in service to our communities. Supervisor Fortunato Bas is the first Filipina on the Board of Supervisors which is now composed of a majority of women of color. Supervisor Bas has decades of policy and legislative experience and served six years representing District 2 in Oakland, four of those were spent working tirelessly as Council President. Before she left Oakland leadership, Supervisor Fortunato Bas served as Interim Mayor.
Supervisor Fortunato Bas stated, "I bring to this role decades of experience working to address the needs of those most vulnerable and look forward to working with our entire community to inform and shape our work on these key issues:
Addressing homelessness by housing our unhoused neighbors with dignity & services, creating more affordable housing & protecting tenants from displacement; Ensuring accessible, quality healthcare and a living wage for healthcare workers; Building a regional strategy for public safety & violence prevention; Continuing to reimagine adult justice; Continuing to expand early childhood education; Protecting our communities from the anticipated harms of the Trump administration."
The Alameda County District 5 office can reached at:
Supervisor Bas, nikki.fortunatobas@acgov.org
Chief of Staff Dave Brown, dave.brown2@acgov.org
Chief of Legislative Affairs and Community Safety Cinthya Munoz Ramos, cinthya.munozramos2@acgov.org
As Councilmember Kaplan leaves the At-Large Office, new leadership steps in. Councilmember Rowena Brown is the new Councilmember At-Large, representing the entire City of Oakland. She previously served our city as the State Legislative District Director for Asm. Mia Bonta. Councilmember Brown has served the people of Oakland with a leadership path rooted in community as an 8th-grade classroom teacher providing free eye exams and glasses to K-12 students; serving as a job coach and career counselor for dislocated workers, re-entry, and disabled adults; and connecting at-risk families to COVID-19 resources, testing, and healthy food. At the inauguration, she stated, “I know that we have some really tough times ahead, both locally and at the national level. Yet my heart is overjoyed for the opportunity to work alongside all of you to really help uplift Oakland and create an Oakland that serves as a positive vision for other cities.”
The At-Large team can be reached at:
Councilmember At-Large Rowena Brown, rjbrown@oaklandca.gov
Chief of staff Georgia Savage, gsavage@oaklandca.gov
Policy Director Chiamaka Ogwuegbu, cogwuegbu@oaklandca.gov
Interim Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan had just concluded a very successful tenure launching nation-leading clean energy projects including zero emission trucks, and bringing new events and revenue to the Oakland coliseum and arena, including upcoming Roots soccer. As the Councilmember At-Large. Kaplan is the first openly lesbian official to be elected to the Oakland City Council. Councilmember Kaplan will now serve as the interim representative for District 2 until the special election to be held in April for the permanent councilmember for the District 2 seat. Prior to becoming a councilmember, she was the At-Large member of the AC Transit Board. Councilmember Kaplan has served on numerous boards and commissions, such as the Alameda County Transportation Commission, and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, and was recently appointed to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. On the City Council, Kaplan has served as Council President and Vice Mayor.
Councilmember Kaplan states, “I am honored that my colleagues appointed me to serve the residents of District 2 and the people of Oakland. We are already hard at work in our new term, finding funding to restore vital public services like fire stations.”
The Oakland City Council District 2 Office can be reached at:
Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, rkaplan@oaklandca.gov
Chief of Staff Kimberly Jones, kjones3@oaklandca.gov
Aide/Constituent Liaison Debra Israel, disrael1@oaklandca.gov
Legislative Analyst Michael Alvarenga, malvarenga@oaklandca.gov
Budget Survey
Please take the Budget Survey on or before Friday, January 31, at 5:00 pm.
The City Council will be making very tough budget decisions, and this survey is a way for Oakland residents to tell the City Council what is essential to them.
Oakland Housing and Community Development Department awards $80.5 million to Affordable Housing Developments
The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today. Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of twenty-four applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.
In a statement released on January 16th, Oakland's HCD stated, "Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities."
In December, my office worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.
THE NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND IS COMING TO OAKLAND
The 74th NBA All-Star weekend is coming to the Bay Area! The Oakland Arena is hitting the national stage as it will host signature NBA All-Star events, including:
Friday, 2/14: Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
The game will feature a wide array of celebrities from the worlds of music, sports, film, and more. click here for tickets.
Saturday, 2/15: NBA All-Star Practice
NBA All-Star Practice features All-Star players and coaches poised to participate in the 74th NBA All-Star game the next day. The All-Stars will take to the court for practice with their coaches and teammates. Click here for tickets
Saturday, 2/15: The NBA HBCU Classic
The NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T continues the league’s ongoing, year-round commitment to advancing educational, career and economic opportunities in partnership with HBCU institutions as well as increasing support and awareness for HBCU athletics. Check out the match between Morehouse College and Tuskegee University. Click here for tickets.
The 74th NBA All-Star Weekend continues last year's trend of record setting revenue for the Oakland Arena. The fiscal year 2023 featured multiple sold-out shows, including, but not limited to, Stray Kids, Seventeen, Kehlani, My Chemical Romance, Jo Koy, Rod Wave, Carin León, SZA, Maná, SUGA, and TWICE. Nearly 500,000 guests were welcomed on the property to experience their favorite artists live in Oakland.
Events such as concerts and the NBA All-Star Weekend illustrate the Arena's potential for generating revenue and the jobs created by a fully utilized Arena/Coliseum site. The Oakland Arena remains a Bay Area leader in employment opportunities, with nearly 650 part-time employees hired per event. The full upcoming event calendar can be found here.
In 2025, the Coliseum will host the Oakland Roots for their home season, generating additional revenue, jobs, and community spirit. The Oakland Roots have started selling season tickets for the upcoming season. You can find information and pricing for the Roots' 2025 season at the Coliseum here.
